County offering food protection courses

The Allegheny County Health Department has released its winter schedule of food protection certification courses for food industry workers.

The two-day course will be offered on February 2 and 12 at Oakmont Country Club in Plum and March 4 and 11 at West Penn Hospital in Pittsburgh.

The course teaches the importance of food safety along with techniques designed to prevent food contamination and outbreaks of food poisoning. The Health Department requires facilities that prepare foods to have at least one certified worker on site during operating hours.

The fee is $60 for anyone who lives in Allegheny County or works in a food facility in the County and $75 for others. A three-year certification is awarded to those who complete the course and pass the exam.

A one-day refresher class for workers whose certification has expired will be offered on January 14 at Charles Morris Nursing Home in Squirrel Hill. The fee for the recertification course, including the exam, is $55 for people living in the County or working in a food facility here and $70 for others.

A certification challenge exam, with no instruction, will be given from 2 to 3 p.m. on January 9 and 23, February 6 and 20, and March 6 and 20 at the Health Department’s Food Safety Division in Lawrenceville. The one-hour exam, which is for those who already have had food safety training, is $40 for those who live in the County or work in a food facility here and $55 for others.

Discounted culinary student fees of $40 for County residents and $55 for non-residents are available for the certification course and refresher class.

For more information, call the Allegheny County Health Department at 412-687-ACHD (2243) or visit its web site at www.achd.net.